The inventive concepts disclosed herein relate to systems and methods for acquiring available information stored in a plurality of event-related databases to auto-complete specified event fields in standard formatted auto-fillable user forms as appropriate for particular events, improving accuracy in the information provided by reducing manual user error leading to increased efficiencies system-wide and enhanced safety in the execution of the particular events.
Air travel worldwide continues to be a preferred mode of transport for business travelers, and for those traveling for pleasure and/or convenience. Air transport has also become a principal commercial artery by which to support ever-increasing tonnage of bulk cargo transport responding to scheduled and on-demand requirements. Each individual operations, maintenance and/or support component is tasked with conducting its individual activities at an increasingly frenetic pace in order to maintain the fidelity of a fairly rigid operating schedule. All individuals involved directly in execution, or otherwise in support of the conduct, of the overall operational scheme with respect to a particular air carrier (including any airline), a particular facility (including any air terminal) or a particular support infrastructure element (including any element of, for example, the air traffic control structure) recognize that deviations from the specified schedule can quickly escalate to an unmanageable level. This is particularly true with regard to regional air transport in densely populated areas and along densely traveled air routes. The system that ensures a constant flow of passengers and freight between destinations is a system built on a fairly precise scheme of operations defined by a rigid set of rules to attempt to ensure a free flow of accurate information between all participating nodes.
A particular area of stress within the realm of air carrier operations is providing accurate information regarding those operations to myriad recipients. The free flow of information throughout the entire network is paramount to the promotion of safe and efficient operations system-wide. As technology has increased, many aviation industry operators have turned increasingly away from manually generating bills of lading to the use of automated messaging systems for accurately tracking, and more specifically recording in “written” form, all sorts of data supporting all manner of ground operations. The operational messages produced through the use of these messaging systems continue, however, to require accurate data input in relation to, for example, fuel loads and passenger loading, aircraft movements, aircraft weight and balance, baggage cargo, container and pallet loading, and passenger, baggage and cargo unloading, in order to support the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft.
In support of increasing efficiencies in the conduct of these operations, many of the involved entities have turned to the use of certain standardized “User Forms.” These forms are generally provided in a standard format that includes fields that specifically address the various pieces of information required to support the specific ground operations. The presentation of the information in a standardized format promotes efficient and correct interpretation across all user groups. Even with the implementation of standardized format User Forms, however, individual users still struggle to meet deadlines during the busiest periods of high tempo and quick turnaround operations based on high task workloads and compressed time frames for task completion. Errors in accurately recording a flight readiness status, fuel calculations, weight and balance information, and/or loading and unloading of passengers, baggage and cargo can reduce margins of safety that are built into the system.
Difficulties, as they arise, may also adversely affect health and safety of individuals such as, for example, when ramp agents are then required to meet even more foreshortened deadlines generated by the necessity to undertake correction of errors based on the misinformation previously provided. Errors, therefore, in the information provided in movement messages mean that handling agents are unable to properly plan for flight arrivals causing resource issues in asset reallocation to address the generated errors, including offload delays, that will combine to increase an adverse effect on the operational performance, passenger experience, and health and safety of the involved individuals.
There are a number of technology platforms that employ automated fillable (or “auto-fill” or “auto-complete”) forms. Typical of auto-complete form services are those that store static personal information such that when a particularly-identified user seeks to complete a particular form, the storage static personal information is automatically used to populate the associated fields for which the information is previously stored. These auto-complete services are, however, limited to storing and referencing static personal information.